ERO Chicago removes Mexican fugitive wanted in his home country for kidnapping
Convicted noncitizen fled to US in attempt to avoid prison
CHICAGO — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago removed an unlawfully present noncitizen foreign fugitive Oct. 9 who was sentenced to 50 years in prison for kidnapping in his home country of Mexico.
Rodrigo Lopez-Penaloza was removed on a flight coordinated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Air Operations Unit to Mexico. Upon arrival in Mexico, ERO turned him over to local authorities without incident.
On Feb. 16, 2006, U.S. Border Patrol arrested Lopez-Penaloza near Sonoita, Arizona. Agents processed him as a voluntary return and returned him to Mexico the same day.
On an unknown date and at an unknown location, Lopez-Penaloza reentered the United States without inspection, admission or parole by an immigration officer.
On Oct. 9, 2013, ERO Chicago officers arrested him at the Marion County Probation Office in Indianapolis, Indiana, and served him a notice to appear, charging him with removability under the Immigration and Nationality Act. On Oct. 15, 2013, Lopez-Penaloza posted bond and ERO Chicago released him from ICE custody.
On Dec. 16, 2016, an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered him removed to Mexico in absentia.
On an unknown date, Lopez-Penaloza voluntarily returned to Mexico. He later reentered the United States at an unknown date and location.
Lopez-Penaloza has a 2016 conviction in Mexico for kidnapping for which he was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He also has multiple convictions in the United States, including two 2019 felony convictions for illegally reentering the country that resulted in his removal from the United States.
On Sept. 25, 2023, ERO Chicago officers arrested Lopez-Penaloza during a targeted enforcement action in Indianapolis, which led to his Oct. 9 removal.
As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Members of the public can report crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.
Learn more about ERO’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROChicago.
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